Going Away Gift
by Leonhart17
Summary: *One Shot* All those toys Booth gives Brennan - Jasper the pig, Brainy Smurf - they were Parker's first... ***Slight spoilers for the Season 5 finale***


Never written Bones fic...so I'm sticking with Parker's headspace mostly, because I find a 8 year old boy much easier to write than Booth or Brennan. Any constructive criticism is appreciated...

* * *

Booth will never tell her, but all those little toys he gives her, Jasper the pig, Brainy Smurf, they're all 'borrowed' from Parker. Of course his son knew how he felt about her, if not in so many words. But he was a bright kid, and he knew what love looked like, even if he didn't know how to explain it. It was clear to him that his father loved his partner. And so he took it upon himself to help.

First was the pig. Daddy had been telling him about how Dr. Bones wanted a pet pig, but he couldn't afford to get her one, because, of course, if she wanted one, he was going to make sure she got it. So Parker had done the only thing that made sense - he consulted his toy box. He just knew he had some old farm toys in there.

Daddy was still talking when he pressed the plastic pig into his hand. Booth looked down in surprise. "What's this, buddy?" he asked, turning the toy over in his hands.

"It's for Dr. Bones. Since she wants a pig and we can't get it for her, I think you should give her this one," Parker explained seriously, because, of course, any problem of his father's automatically becomes his problem as well. "Will you give it to her, Daddy?"

Booth swallowed back sudden emotion, squeezing the toy in one hand while his other hand pulls Parker to his chest. "Sure, I will. I could wait though, and you could give it to her with me," he offered.

Parker considered this for a moment, finally shaking his head, floppy hair falling in his face. "That's okay. I think she'll like it if just you give it to her."

"Bones loves seeing you," Booth objected. "You know that, right?"

The little boy nodded. "I know. She didn't tell me about the pig though. She told you. So it's like a secret. You're not supposed to tell secrets," he informed his father seriously.

Booth grinned, nodding. "You're right, but Bones doesn't mind that I told you. She knows you won't tell our secrets." He hugged his son again, eyes lingering on the plastic pig, now named Jasper. "Thanks, Parker."

* * *

The Smurf was harder to find. Parker hadn't played with Smurfs in _forever_. He managed to find them in his closet at his mom's apartment, but he didn't have the girly Smurf, just the Brainy one. His mom found him in his room, looking dejectedly at the toys.

"What's wrong, Parker? Your dad's on his way to pick you up," Rebecca asked, crouching next to him and pushing hair back from his face.

"Dr. Bones likes the Smurfs, but I don't have her favorite one," he said, showing her the toys.

Rebecca smiled, shaking her head. "Aww, sweetie…"

She was interrupted by the front door opening, Booth letting himself in. "Hey, Rebecca, Parker, I'm here," he called. He moved quickly as he saw them both on the floor from the hall, one hand reaching behind him for the gun he wasn't carrying, the gun he didn't carry when he was taking Parker for the day. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I don't have the girl Smurf for Dr. Bones," Parker said, throwing himself into his father's arms.

Booth met Rebecca's eyes over Parker's head, frowning in confusion. "Buddy, what's wrong?"

"You said Dr. Bones liked the girl Smurf, but I don't have that one," Parker confessed sadly.

Booth hugged him, letting out a deep breath. "Oh, Parker, it's okay," Booth calmed him down gently. "Bones is going to be fine without a little toy. Don't you worry about it."

Parker nodded, pressing the Brainy Smurf into Booth's hand. "Will you at least give her this one? Even though it's not her favorite, it's the only one I have. Unless she likes these ones better," he offered, pointing into the box at the few other Smurfs he had.

"This one is perfect," Booth promised. "She's going to love it." He exchanged smiles with Rebecca over their son's head, both of them pushing Parker's floppy hair back. "Thanks, buddy." Parker was reassured, and he jumped up to find his backpack while Booth helped Rebecca to her feet. "That's all that's wrong, right?" Booth asked quietly.

Rebecca nodded, stroking his arm reassuringly. "Yes," she said surely. "He really seems to like Dr. Brennan."

Booth nodded, biting one lip. "Yeah," he agreed softly.

His son's mother gave him a knowing smile. "I don't have to wonder where he learned that from," she commented. "Like father, like son."

Booth's jaw dropped open, but he couldn't think of an argument that wouldn't ring absolutely false. "I guess you're right." He paused, meeting her eyes. "You…like her alright, too, don't you?" he asked hesitantly.

Rebecca nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Yes, Seeley. Your partner seems very nice. And it's obvious how you feel about her." Booth started to speak and she cut him off with a gentle hand on his lips. "You've got nothing to worry about from me, Seeley." She smiled as Parker ran back into the hall, pulling Booth along by his hand. "And I'm not the only one who supports you," she observed.

Booth's smile over his shoulder was embarrassed but undeniably pleased.

* * *

Not even his father knew about the GI Joe. After his dad had told him that he was going back to the Army, and that Dr. Bones was going to some island to look for old skeletons, he knew exactly what to do. It was the work of a second to find an army Joe in his toy box, a much more difficult task to get it to Dr. Bones without asking his father for help.

He took to carrying it in his pocket whenever he was going out with his dad, sure that he'd see Dr. Bones at least once. An even better chance than he could have hoped for was provided when Dr. Bones' friend Angela distracted the pair while they were at the coffee shop. He hurriedly put his milkshake down and made a show of pushing his spoon over the edge of the table. Booth looked down at him, but didn't question it when he slipped under the table.

A second was all he needed to slip the Army man into Dr. Bones' purse. He'd thought about tying a note to it, but that seemed girly and he was sure that she was know exactly where the toy had come from and what it meant.

She was watching him as he resurfaced from under the table, and he gave her an innocent grin. Dr. Bones was a smart lady. Her eyes dropped to her bag before rising to meet his again. There was a strange look on her face, and he got suddenly scared that the Army man had hurt her feelings, and he was relieved as she gave him a small smile. He nodded, smiling as he took another long draw out of his milkshake, the straw slurping in the bottom of the cup.

A week later when she was packing her bag, she found the toy in her purse, and she held it in her hand contemplatively. Objectively, the toy didn't weigh much, so it wouldn't be a burden in her luggage, but it would also serve no purpose on her expedition, and she started to stand it up on top of her dresser.

She hesitated though, looking at the figure's face. Parker had obviously given her this to remind her of Booth while she was gone, and Booth had been teaching her about the importance of gifts, though she was quite sure that she wouldn't need a toy to remind her of Booth she tucked the toy into her carry-on with a smile.

He noticed it on her small table a few months later during one of their web-camera chats, but he knew without asking where it had come from, and when he called Rebecca later that night he made her wake Parker up so he could say thank you to his son.


End file.
